Kim Chi Jjigae (Korean Kim Chi Soup)

I love Korean food so freaking hard. So, when I saw Karen's recipe for Kim Chi Jjigae on Foodgawker a while ago, I bookmarked it to try the next time I had some old kimchi lying around. Fast-forward to this weekend. After a particularly gluttonous trip to the Korean market I found I had everything on hand to make this soup save the pork belly, which I picked up at Whole Foods after church this afternoon. The fact that it was local and pasture-raised helped to assuage my guilt somewhat (I am only recently phasing out of vegetarianism after 14ish meat-free years).

I first softened my microplaned ginger and garlic (forget mincing, this is so much easier, especially if you freeze the ginger first) in some sesame oil. Next I tossed in the little pork belly cubes and let them brown; added kimchi juice, diced kimchi, sliced onion, and water; and let everything simmer for half an hour before adding in the soft tofu. Mine was too soft to cut into cubes, so I just squished it in and let it break up on its own as I stirred.

Toe-food (aka soft tofu) and scallions

I was also fortunate enough to have not one but TWO capable feline sous chefs on hand:

Miss Chai guarding the fruit bowl, coupons, and Himalayan salt. She thinks she is a sphinx or gargoyle or something.

Inspector Bakancito making sure our kitchen sanitation is up to par. Yes, I spend a lot of time wiping down my counters.

Have I mentioned yet that I freaking adore Korean food? I have? Oh, OK. Well, in that case, it should come as no surprise that I was standing over the pot drooling for the last few minutes of simmering time before plopping a few ladlefuls into a bowl, throwing some black sesame seeds and sliced scallion on top, and snapping a quick (cruddy) pic with my phone:

Kim Chi Jjigae! It's so good you will dance a little jig(ae) upon eating! :oD

The verdict? Delicious and plentiful! I have two servings left and can't wait to taste a bowlful tomorrow after the flavors have had time to mingle. Next time I will cut most of the fat out of the pork belly before dicing, as I was a little grossed out by the amount of squishiness this time. I'll also add the onions earlier on and/or simmer the soup a little longer so they're even softer.

Ciao for now, or should I say 안녕하십니까 ("annyonghi kashipshiyo", goodbye)?